Ashleigh stared at her reflection in the ornately carved mirror that hung in the bridal room, unable to take her eyes off the beautiful wedding dress that still took her breath away even all these months after she had originally bought it.

The bridal room was actually the main bedroom of the big farmhouse on Roman Ranch, the house Walker had grown up in.

Her heart lurched when she thought of Walker, her handsome, strong SEAL who wasn’t quite as indestructible as he had liked to believe. Tears sprung to her eyes as the memories came flooding into her mind.

Those first two weeks after the shootout had been, hands down, the worst two weeks of Ashleigh’s life -- and that included the time she’d been forced to sleep in Dimitri’s bed for a month because she’d been caught trying to run away in the middle of the night.

Walker had lost a lot of blood by the time he had fainted, and was finally raced to the hospital after telling her that he loved her for the very first time.

She had stayed by his side, refusing to let go of his hand and praying that she would have the opportunity to tell him that she loved him back. God, how she loved him!

She had collapsed onto her knees when they wheeled him away from her at the hospital and rushed him to an operating theater, shouting about blood and a thready pulse and a million other things that had sounded like a garble of Greek and death to her as she helplessly watched him disappear. Sawyer had found her still sobbing in the middle of the hall when they had arrived minutes later, had scooped her up and carried her to Remy’s side in a stark waiting room nearby. Her anguished sobs hadn’t subsided until what felt like hours later when a doctor came to tell them that Walker had pulled through and that while his condition was critical, he was stable. Then the tears of relief came. And, of course, the heart-wrenching guilt that he was in this condition because of her.

It was only after speaking to the doctor that Sawyer and Colt allowed themselves to be led away from the small crowd that had assembled in the waiting room by a nurse to be examined themselves.

Ace, Carter and Ronan had been carted to the emergency room as soon as they had arrived at the hospital, under protest, but had returned to her and the Romans as soon as they had been stitched up and cleared. Other than some relatively minor scrapes, cuts and bruises, none of them had been injured too badly.

They had each added a new scar or two to their collections, to be sure, but they hadn’t worried about it in the least. Instead, they paced the waiting room with the Roman brothers and refused to leave until they could see Walker for themselves, despite numerous doctors and nurses informing them that they needed to get some rest.

Ashleigh’s heart had hammered in her ears and she had felt like she was floating in a bubble, detached from what was happening around her as she replayed every minute that she had spent with Walker and continuing her prayers to any deity that might be listening that their story wasn’t over, as they waited for him to wake up.

It was hours before anyone was allowed to see him and by this point, having given up on convincing any of them to leave, the nurses had offered a small staff bathroom where they could get cleaned up. Rose had gone to fetch their overnight bags from the respective cars outside and had forced them one by one to take the nurses up on the offer. Only Ashleigh didn’t budge, refusing to leave her seat until it would be to go see Walker.

Colt and Sawyer had both relented to the pressure from their wives to clean up, but had each returned in no more than four minutes, their eyes wild and dark with worry and their fists clenching as they continued to wear paths in the waiting room carpet from their pacing.

The police had come and gone after taking statements from each of them, informing them that Solokov and his men had all been taken into custody for human trafficking and a list of offenses longer than Ashleigh’s arm. It appeared that the police had been building a case against them for a while, but had needed the final nail in the coffin that the shootout and what had been found within the club thereafter had provided.

The policemen called the men heroes and shook their hands as they told them that they had saved many innocent lives by their actions, but merely shot glances in Ashleigh’s direction. The guilt that had been weighing heavy in her stomach felt like it flowed through her veins, turning her blood to ice under those accusatory glances, like they had known it was all her fault. Just like she did. It had taken Remy one look at Ashleigh to put the pieces together and just like that, the Romans and Walker’s old unit were hugging her and repeatedly assuring her that she wasn’t to blame, that the only person to blame was Solokov and the assholes who worked for him. While she hadn’t believed them at the time, she had come to accept that they had been telling the truth and no one had ever blamed her for what happened.

When he finally opened his eyes after the anesthesia had worn off, she had told him how much she loved him and had been telling him the same thing multiple times a day, every day since. She had stayed at the hospital and was at his side for every hour they allowed her to visit in the intensive care unit for the first few days. Once he was moved to a private room, the nurses had eventually given up on telling her to leave and made up a cot for her with strict instructions that she could injure him if she tried sleeping on the hospital bed with him.

Despite his pain and the obvious discomfort it caused him to move, Walker had pulled her into the hospital bed with him every night, holding her tight to his side and whispering how much he loved her.

The original wedding had been canceled, of course, given that the groom was bound to a bed in the intensive care unit at the time when it was supposed to be taking place.

The Colonel hadn’t been impressed that the wedding had to be canceled, or that his sons had thrown themselves in the line of fire at a moment’s notice, but then again he rarely ever was impressed.

He had grudgingly congratulated them on taking down what had later become apparent to be a nationwide ring of human traffickers and had eventually forgiven their ‘blatant recklessness.’

Once he was discharged, they had headed home and she had been surprised to find their bedroom decorated with thousands of twinkling fairy lights and candles and rose petals.

Walker had insisted several days before being discharged that she hand his mother’s ring over to Sawyer so that he could have it cleaned, but she’d later learned that it had been part of his plan to propose to her ‘properly,’ as Walker had put it.

He’d also arranged for the girls to decorate the bedroom for their homecoming and had sunk down on one knee as soon as they entered the bedroom, before she could even begin to comprehend what was happening.

He had slid the ring out of his pocket and held it up to her, delivering a speech that had her in tears before asking her to marry him ‘for real this time.’ She had been so shocked and so moved by it all that it had taken her several tries before she had managed to breathe a strangled yes and then launched herself into his arms.

He had winced in pain, but had laughed as he told her that he’d rather take the pain amplified a thousand times than not have her in his arms.

They decided together that they wanted to have the wedding on the ranch and refused to let anyone sway them. It had always been his home, and it was the first place that she had ever really felt at home in, safe and loved.

Since there was no rush for the wedding this time, she’d thrown herself into researching what she actually wanted for her wedding and with Remy, Rose and Shelby helping, everything was absolutely perfect.

The sound of Shelby’s voice yelling as she ascended the staircase that led to the main bedroom drew Ashleigh out of her reverie and back to the present. “Coming through! Champagne for the bride!”

She accepted the champagne gratefully and took a long sip. She and Shelby had become fast friends over the course of the past six months and most days, Ashleigh struggled to remember a time when that hadn’t been true.

Shelby had also proven to be a miracle when it came to wedding planning and thus far, was proving to be a lifesaver in keeping the bride calm.

Even though she’d had five and a half months to prepare for the big day, now that it had finally arrived, she was crazy nervous. Seeing the dress and makeup and shoes and hair and just the whole picture, all the bits and pieces together was setting her on edge.

A small part of her still refused to believe that this was her life now, that these people around her were her family, that a man like Walker was about to become her husband. Somewhere inside, that traitorous voice of low self-esteem that had been hammered into her by her captors whispered that Walker wasn’t going to be waiting for her at the end of the aisle, that he would realize what a mistake he was making and choose a more suitable wife.

She pushed the thought out of her mind immediately and chided that faithless husk of a voice inside of her to shut up.

Walker would be there. He had proven to her time and time again that she could trust him, that she could rely on him, that he loved her as much as she loved him. Hell, he’d almost gone and gotten himself killed so she would be free and safe.

She turned away from the mirror and took a few deep breaths before giving up on trying to calm her nerves by breathing and opted to down the rest of her champagne instead.

She saw Shelby give her a sidelong glance, but she winked and brought over another flute of champagne.

“After this one, I’m cutting you off, lest I let you have too much and you miss out on yet another chance of becoming Mrs. Walker Roman,” Shelby teased as she handed Ashleigh the flute. “This wedding is perfect for you two, and I’m not arranging another one!”

She was right, of course. It was all so perfect and Ashleigh had no intention of waiting even one more day before becoming Walker’s wife, so she slowed down on the second flute of champagne and set it down on the side table after one small sip.

Rose came up behind her and gave a low whistle as she ran her eyes over Ashleigh, having been the only bridesmaid who was still having her hair done by the stylist responsible for all three bridesmaids when Ashleigh’s stylist and makeup artist had finished with her and as such, the only one who hadn’t seen the complete picture yet.

“Girl, you look so hot! Walker’s going to faint again when he sees you.” She ignored the glare Ashleigh shot her way at the joke she made about that night and grinned instead. “Seriously though, you look gorgeous!” “That she most certainly does,” Remy said as she walked over to them with Harper waddling next to her.

One of the reasons they had chosen to wait a little while longer when they set the wedding date was so that Harper would be steadier on her feet and could be their little flower girl. Shiloh, of course, was the ring bearer and he was also carrying a cute sign down the aisle as he walked with his sister.

The dress she and Remy had chosen for Harper was soft and flowing white, and she had a crown of fresh flowers sitting atop her head. She looked like such an angel that Ashleigh’s heart squeezed when Harper toddled over to her and smiled, holding her hands up for a hug.

“Not now, Harper. Aunty Ash can’t pick you up in that dress, sweetheart, and she probably can’t bend down to hug you on the ground either,” Remy told Harper gently and looked to Ashleigh for confirmation.

She nodded, but Harper looked so heartbroken that she scooped her up, ignoring the feeling that she was about to topple over and gave her a big hug anyway. Remy and Rose tutted, but laughed as Ashleigh handed Harper back to Remy.

“Ladies, it’s time,” Marilee’s voice trilled through the door.

Ashleigh’s heart skipped several beats and she felt her chest flush as it always did when she was nervous.

“It’s okay, Ash,” Shelby assured her as she gathered the train of Ashleigh’s dress, ready to help her down the stairs. “Just remember who you’re going to. That’s Walker out there waiting for you. Just focus on him, no one else matters.”

As soon as the words were out of Shelby’s mouth, Ashleigh’s heart rate calmed and she suddenly wanted nothing more than to sprint to him.

The ceremony was being held in the Roman’s backyard, which of course opened up to the beautiful green pastures beyond. The aisle was a red carpet that started on the patio and led all the way to a gazebo covered in thousands upon thousands of fragrant seasonal flowers that had been set up right at the edge of the yard.

The girls helped her maneuver down the stairs, which was far more difficult than it should have been and had them giggling more than once at her apparent inability to move gracefully in her heels, and into the living room they were using as the holding area.

The processional music started playing as soon they were all in their places, and the notes seemed to reach deep into her heart to imprint this moment there forever.

Shiloh, dressed in a suit and a cowboy hat that he refused to remove of late unless he was sleeping, took his cue from Eulah, his grandmother, and accepted the sign that she held out to him. He shot Ashleigh a smile and quick thumbs up before a serious expression settled on his gorgeous little face as he held his hand out to his sister.

Remy edged Harper on and she disappeared down the aisle side by side with Shiloh, who was proudly displaying the sign that read ‘Uncle Walker, your bride is coming!’

Remy, Rose and Shelby followed and before she knew it, the opening bars of the bridal march started playing. Her heart stammered at the enormity of the moment and she knew that if it had been anyone else waiting for her at the end of the aisle, she wouldn’t have been able to move a muscle.

“But it’s not anyone else, Doll. It’s him,” she breathed softly as she took a deep breath and stepped through the patio doors, ready to start her brand new life as Ashleigh Roman.

Her eyes zeroed in on Walker waiting under the gazebo and everyone and everything else seemed to fade away, even Sawyer and Colt standing right there with him.

There was only him, devastatingly handsome in his wedding suit, shoulders squared and a strange twitch in his jaw as he drank her in, doing a clear double take.

His eyes remained fixed on hers as she approached, careful to walk slowly to the music as Shelby had coached her to do, even though she wanted to run to him and fling herself into his strong arms.

Once she was close enough, she could see the heat in his eyes, but she could also see the pure and complete bliss and overwhelming love that she was feeling reflected there.

He broke into a wide grin when she finally reached him, grasped her hand and brought it to his mouth to place a soft kiss on her palm as his eyes burned into her.

He brought his hands up then and lifted her veil. For just a moment, Ashleigh could’ve sworn there were tears in his eyes, but he blinked hard and the maybe tears were gone.

Ashleigh’s eyes, on the other hand, were brimming with unshed tears and her heart had swelled to such epic proportions that she was entirely certain it was about to explode. She’d never imagined this was what it would feel like to walk down the aisle and see the love of your life waiting there for you, waiting to claim you as his wife. It was the most indescribable feeling she’d ever had. Ecstasy didn’t even begin to do it justice.

Pastor Jim started the service, which they’d asked him to keep short and sweet.

“You wrote your own vows, I believe. So Walker, let’s start with yours,” he directed.

Walker cleared his throat and gathered both her hands in his as they turned to face one another.

“I’m usually not a man of many words,” he started, giving a little smirk as some of the guests chuckled. “And yet I find myself having so much to say to you right now, as I always seem to with only you, Ashleigh. I don’t know if I have the right words to say it all, but here goes. You transformed my life the minute you stepped foot in it, you brought me back to life when I had given up a long time ago and you did it without batting an eye. You brought a warmth to my home and then to my heart I never could’ve have imagined possible, that I never would have believed could feel the way that you have made me feel. You have made me a better man and I want to keep becoming a better man so that maybe one day, I can be the man that you truly deserve. So today, in front of the Lord, family and friends, I make the following vow to you. I, Walker Roman, will love you, honor you and cherish you. I will adore you and protect you, though I might not always obey you. I give myself to you Ashleigh, spirit, body and soul, everything I have and everything I am now and ever will be is yours. For as long as I live, I am yours.”

Someone stuffed a tissue in Ashleigh’s hand and she dabbed gently at the tears streaming down her face.

He squeezed the hand he was still holding, and held her gaze. She was captivated as she drank in his words and the fierce, yet tender expression that he’d had on his face the entire time he was reciting his vows to her.

Pastor Jim cleared his throat to get their attention, and then nodded at Ashleigh when she finally managed to look anywhere but at Walker.

She gave him an answering nod and then tried to steady herself by grasping onto both of his strong hands and meeting his warm gaze once more. She found her strength in him, and was finally able to form the words she needed as if his confidence and strength were flowing into her from their joined hands.

“I’ve never been a woman of many words, because there was never really anyone who wanted to listen to what I might have wanted to say and eventually, I honestly believed that what I wanted to say didn’t matter anyway. Until I met you, Walker. From the very first day you not only listened, but you really heard what I was saying. You not only listened, but you encouraged me to talk, you made me feel like what I was saying really did matter, that I mattered. You brought me back to life, then you figuratively and even literally saved it time and time again. You have taught me the meaning of unconditional love and you have shown me that somehow, you have it for me. I will spend every day for the rest of my life showing you that I have it for you. So today, in front of the Lord, family and friends, I make the following vow to you. I, Ashleigh Walsh, will love you, honor you and cherish you. I will adore you and protect you, though I might not always obey you. I give myself to you Walker, spirit, body and soul, everything I have and everything I am now and ever will be is yours. For as long as I live, I am yours.”

As she spoke the words that she borrowed from him because she couldn’t think of a single better way to say it, she saw a single tear roll down his cheek and smiled the widest, most genuine smile she had ever seen anyone wear.

There was a hush amongst the small crowd as they exchanged rings, but she heard Remy sniff quietly beside her and saw Colt and Sawyer beaming at them over Walker’s shoulder.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. Walker, you may kiss your bride.”

“Finally!” Walker cheered, setting off another round of chuckles as he pulled her close and crushed his lips to hers, dipping her low and holding her there as he devoured her mouth like a man dying of hunger.

When their kiss finally broke, Ashleigh was breathless and only his arm around her waist kept her from melting into a puddle of pure delight and unbelievable happiness.

“Have I mentioned that you look exquisite, Mrs. Roman?” he asked as his lips brushed against her ear when the congregation leaped to their feet and cheered.

Sawyer, Colt and Carter wolf-whistled and the girls descended on them, pulling them into tight hugs and yelling congratulations in their ears.

Soon, it was all Ashleigh could do to hang on to Walker as a seemingly endless stream of people hugged them and congratulated them -- even The Colonel seemed happy and at peace as he hugged her.

The reception was set to take place under a tent that had been set up outside the barn, where Noir and Aislyn were waiting with gleaming coats to take them off to various parts of the ranch where they wanted to have photos taken.

Okay and maybe they had also planned it that way so that they could have some peace and quiet with just each other after the ceremony, so they’d opted out of having the photographer come with them. Instead, Walker had ordered a flexible portable tripod and had stashed it in his saddlebag with his digital camera.

Hours later, the photos had been taken, the delicious food devoured and her feet were aching from dancing more than she ever had when she felt his strong arms wrap around her and his voice in her ear just as she returned from the bathroom with Shelby. She turned in the circle of his arms, and he drew her in for a long, deep kiss.

“You ready to get out of here, Mrs. Roman?”

“As long as you’re coming with me, Mr. Roman.”

“Oh, I’ll come with you alright, but you’re coming first.” Walker smirked as he placed a palm on her lower back and guided her to their home.